Developing Effective Communication as a Coach
Julia Rizzo, M.S., High Performance Sports, Wayne, PA USA
Cristina Fink, Ph.D., High Performance Sports, Wayne, PA USA
Effective communication is about sharing information and is a critical skill for a
coach’s and a team’s success. This article provides strategies coaches can
implement to develop an effective communication system. Coaches who build strong
relationships with athletes and encourage athletes to share information in an open
and honest manner are likely to create a supportive team environment where athletes
feel valued and respected. Such an environment makes providing and receiving
feedback easier. This article provides information and tips on how to send and
receive messages effectively in order to enhance individual and team performance.
Target audience: coaches
The Basics
Effective communication is a crucial part
of being a successful coach. Without
this skill, coaches struggle to build
relationships with athletes or provide
effective feedback that will help athletes
improve. In addition, technical and
tactical knowledge is wasted if it cannot
be shared with others for the good of the
team. A coach who can communicate in
an open and honest way will help all
team members feel valued and
respected, while a coach who struggles
to send and receive messages
appropriately can end up with a team
that is frustrated, disillusioned, and that
has bad chemistry.
Like all skills, communication can be
improved with practice, and having a
well thought out communication system
is a good start toward having a
successful season on and off the field.
By keeping just a few communication
tips in mind, coaches can begin to
develop a style of communication that
will benefit both the coaches themselves
and their teams as a whole.
All communication can be broken down
into two parts: sending a message and
receiving a message. Both are equally
important, and though it may seem like
getting your point across to the team is
your primary goal, helping an athlete
feel listened to will go a long way in
building the type of positive relationships
that create successful teams.
Sending Messages
There are several important
components to getting your point across
effectively. To start, coaches should
craft their message. It is important that
the message itself is well thought-out
and can be delivered in a concise and
understandable way. Next, coaches
need to know the audience. Different
people communicate differently and it is
the coach’s job to adapt to each
individual. Finally, coaches must be
honest. If coaches want their athletes to
take what they say seriously, it is
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important that they know the coaches
mean what they are saying.
and concise allows athletes to process
the information more effectively.
Craft Your Message
Once the message has been crafted, do
not be afraid to repeat yourself.
Repeating information and using
different methods to deliver a message
are important if coaches want athletes to
understand it. Coaches should tell them
more than once and repeat the main
components of the message regularly.
When appropriate, coaches can show
them what they are saying and then
have athletes replicate it to ensure that
the message was interpreted correctly.
Coaches who take the time to think
through what they are going to say are
more effective communicators than
those who just say things as they pop
into their heads. As such, coaches
should take a moment to craft the
message they are about to send, as it is
well worth the time. First, it is important
to think about whether or not what a
coach plans to say is consistent with
his/her overall goal, and whether or not
it can be communicated concisely.
Although it may be tempting to react to a
situation immediately as it unfolds,
coaches may want to consider allowing
themselves time to manage their
emotions and clarify a message to avoid
misspeaking and having to revise
messages later. In addition, messages
that are convoluted and unclear are
unlikely to have the desired impact.
Context is also critical for crafting a
message and sometimes knowing when
to say something is just as important as
knowing what to say. Realizing that a
message will have a different impact in
an office than it will on the field is
important. Coaches should keep in
mind that athletes in high stress
situations take in less information than
normal, so a message sent during a
game should be more concise than a
message sent during practice or in a
side conversation later on. For
example, at half-time, coaches should
give each athlete one or two tasks to
focus on in the second half rather than
giving the whole team a list of things to
work on. Keeping the message short
Know the Audience
No matter how well-crafted a message
is, each individual will understand it
slightly differently. Coaches who take
an interest in developing relationships
with athletes will be able to
communicate better with them and
understand how they receive
information. This allows coaches to
shape and time these message so that it
can have the greatest impact. Although
we often think it should be up to the
athletes to adapt to the coach,
communication is a two way process
and you can save yourself energy by
taking your audience into account. For
example, Sir Alex Ferguson, a
legendary soccer coach, was seen
rehearsing how he was going to yell at a
player. He knew that this player reacted
better to this form of feedback and
wanted to make sure that he crafted his
message the right way for that particular
player.
Be Honest
Be honest with athletes and tell them
the truth. Honest communication builds
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a trusting environment and can enhance
the coach’s effectiveness. This may be
especially true in situations of conflict.
When confronting athletes, make sure
that you are managing your emotions so
that they do not disrupt the information
delivery. To do this, focus on the
content of the message rather than the
individual, and make it specific and
concise. Use “I” statements rather than
“you” for a more supportive tone.
Remember, athletes receive messages
differently and you may need to adjust
your language and repeat yourself.
Coaches must be willing to be direct and
specific when sharing information.
Athletes need usable and specific
information to interpret the message
correctly. Keeping the athlete’s age in
mind is important. If you are speaking
to a younger athlete, think about
addressing the situation in a way that is
understandable and not degrading. You
want athletes to stay interested in what
you are saying. Use emotion when
communicating with athletes. Messages
attached to emotional content have a
greater effect on receivers. However,
try not to draw on emotional content too
often; use it when appropriate and when
it feels right for you and your team.
Do not confuse telling the truth with
providing information in a harsh manner.
It does not require any skill to be mean.
Use supportive language to build your
athletes up rather than tear them down
during conversations. As previously
mentioned, athletes want to feel
respected and valued. Keep this in
mind when choosing your words and
tone to deliver information.
Receiving Messages
Communication is a two way process,
and the information you can gain from
being able to listen to and understand
your team effectively is highly valuable.
There are important factors to consider
when receiving a message. First, seek
to understand. Second, listen actively.
Listening does not just mean being
quiet, and it is good to ask for
clarification so that you can understand.
Seek to Understand
There is a difference between hearing
and listening. The goal of listening is
not just to have the other person finish
talking so that you can start again.
Allow what the person is saying to
impact you. Give your athletes a
supportive space to express feelings
and opinions. Providing a comfortable
atmosphere for open communication
improves relationships; athletes feel
important to the team process.
Encourage athletes to speak with one
another and to you with comments or
concerns and follow up after your
conversations to demonstrate that you
heard and care about the athlete.
Acknowledge and applaud effective
communication- talking and listeningwhen you see it. Furthermore, listening
to your athletes models ideal
communication behavior. If you give
them time and space, they will do the
same for you.
Listen Actively
When receiving information, it is most
effective to actively listen to the person
talking. Listen to the information to
understand rather than to reply, indicate
that you are following the message, and
ask questions to clarify. Paraphrase
what the person told you and reflect the
person's feelings to be sure that you
understand. Another critical part of
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listening is to be flexible. Each person
has a different way of talking and
delivering information. Do your best to
listen for the content of the message
and be honest if you do not understand.
Some times are better for more drawn
out conversations than other times. If
you anticipate that a conversation may
be too draining in a certain moment or
setting, set up a more appropriate time
to talk.
Modeling and Feedback
In addition to sending and receiving
messages, there are some other factors
that should be considered as parts of
being an effective communicator.
Modeling a good communication style is
important for team chemistry, and good
communication starts with the coach.
Model
As with other hierarchical roles, coaches
cannot expect athletes to engage in
certain behaviors if the coaches
themselves do not engage in them.
Coaches must consistently model the
desired communication behaviors for
greatest effects. If you make a mistake
communicating, you can model how you
would like your athletes to handle a
similar situation. You can acknowledge
and admit to your mistake, and correct it
in a composed manner. Remember,
nonverbal communication is a critical
factor in interacting with athletes. In
fact, it is argued that how you deliver a
message is more important than what
you say (Hardy, Burke, & Crace, 2005).
Eye contact, facial expressions, and
hand gestures should be consistent with
your personal and team values.
Coaches constantly provide feedback to
improve athlete and team performance.
It is important to use the effective
communication skills listed above to
ensure the most effective delivery and
correct interpretation of the information.
Additionally, you may consider using the
sandwich approach when providing
feedback. Provide a positive message
to the athlete followed by an instruction,
and end with an encouraging comment.
For example, "John, good effort closing
down space. Be sure to pressure the
player to one side. If you practice that,
you will be more successful containing
the attacker."
Use more "ands" than "buts" to ensure
that the entire message is heard. Often,
people only remember what is said after
"but." For example, "Anna, nice job
closing down space, but you need to
improve your approach." Anna is likely
to only take in the information that she
needs to work on her approach rather
than also hearing the compliment. Try
changing the "but" to "and", for example,
"Anna, nice job closing down the space
and you need to improve your
approach." It is important for you to
communicate what athletes do well as
well as what they need to improve.
Below, see the difference between
feedback and criticism.
Feedback vs. Criticism
Targets Task
Targets Athlete
Personally
Specific
General
Based on Facts
Based on
Perception/Judgment
Feedback
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Focuses on
Change
Blames
Builds on
Relationship
Breaks down
Relationship
It is critical for coaches to be honest and
open when providing feedback and to
genuinely care for the athletes. That is,
coaches who tell athletes the truth in an
understanding way, are receptive to
feedback, and are willing to converse
with athletes are more likely to gain the
trust of their team. Caring is not often
thought of as part of the coach's role;
however, providing a caring
atmosphere, defined as respect,
empathy, and acknowledgement (Hardy,
Burke, & Crace, 2005), can positively
impact the team dynamic.
References
Hardy, C. J., Burke, K. L., & Crace, R.
K. (2005). The Sport Psych
Handbook. S. Murphy (Ed.).
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
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